Well, last night's game can certainly be described as a frustrating display for most of the Rangers' fans watching. Coming out to a 2-0 early second period lead, the Rangers gave up three straight goals only to tie the game and lose in a shootout. This game was highlighted by the sloppy powerplay unit that is one of the Rangers' biggest flaws. The Rangers failed to capitalize on a 5-minute powerplay that came from Jordan Staal's match penalty when he punched Brandon Prust in the face. The unit looked disorganized and could not set up in the offensive zone. Once they did get set up, it was only for short periods of time and the players digressed to those of the Jagr era as the unit looked for the perfect pass and did not get shots on net. Pittsburgh easily cleared the puck, and at some points one could not tell that the Rangers even had the man advantage. Ryan Callahan's goal came on the powerplay; the result of a Michael Del Zotto point shot that Callahan deflected through the five-hole of Marc-Andre Fleury.
Other than the powerplay being terrible, the defensive unit as a whole was not at the top of their game. Dan Girardi constantly got caught failing to clear the zone, as did Marc Staal. Players were not covered correctly which lead to three straight goals from the Penguins. The team was missing that hungry mindset, and with a 2-0 lead could have put a Crosby-less and Malkin-less Penguins team away for the night. Unfortunately after a fight between the Rangers' Brandon Prust and Pittsburgh's Derek Engelland, New York lost all of the momentum. John Tortorella went back to his ways of changing lines during games, skating Gaborik with Anisimov and Dubinsky, but eventually giving that spot to Callahan. What the coach should have done in my opinion is put Michael Sauer back with Marc Staal, as the unit of Girardi and Staal was not at its best. Of the defensive unit, Sauer and Gilroy had the best games, providing mixes of offense and solid defense. While they were not outstanding, they were better than the rest of the team's defensemen.
Ultimately, last night's attempt to form a cohesive powerplay unit has shown the Rangers' biggest weaknesses going forward. The Rangers need one thing that they have missed since Ales Kotalik fell out of favor last season, and that is a big shot from the point on the powerplay. Currently, Marc Staal has the most powerful slapshot on the team, and as much as we all love Marc Staal, that isn't a good sign. There are several options available at the trade deadline that could interest both Glen Sather and Rangers fans hoping to make a playoff run. One option is the oft-injured Florida captain Bryan McCabe. Aside from being a physical presence that the Rangers also need, he has a heavy point shot and is good on the offensive side of the puck, as well as being an unrestricted free agent after this season. Another player who is a little less touted is Ottawa defenseman Filip Kuba. He is not as skilled as McCabe, but comes with another year on his deal at a smaller cap hit. He could probably be had for less, as the Ottawa Senators are slowly diving below the New Jersey Devils in the standings. Other names of interest could be Calgary's Anton Babchuk, Edmonton's Kurtis Foster, and Toronto's Francois Beauchemin.
While some Rangers fans want to make a run for the cup at every hint of making the playoffs, I believe that we should not send away valuable assets such as picks or prospects for rental players at this time. Instead of messing up the chemistry that this team has developed since the early going, let them go to the playoffs and gain vital experience. Rookies Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Ryan McDonagh, Michael Sauer and AHL vet turned 4th line center Kris Newbury have never been to the playoffs, nor has Michael Del Zotto nor Matt Gilroy. We still feature a young team that can learn from the experience of a playoff run. Those argue that we are missing out on Gaborik and Lundqvist's primes don't realize that they will both only be 29 years old next season, and the window is still there if we add a key piece over the summer without giving up assets.
Brad Richards is the most talked about free agent target in New York, being that he can be the true #1 center that this team has dreamt of since the Jagr era, and reuniting him with coach John Tortorella from their cup winning days in Tampa Bay. If we do sign Richards, or any center for that matter, one of Artem Anisimov, Derek Stepan and Brian Boyle must switch to the wing. All three are much too valuable to this team to only play fourth line minutes. Another route would be to try and sign a #1 left wing, but that ship may have sailed this past offseason with the utter failure of Alex Frolov. With Alex Semin off of the table thanks to a new extension with the Capitals, players like Alex Tanguay, Simon Gagne, Justin Williams, Tomas Fleischmann, Scotty Upshall, Jussi Jokinen and Ville Leino will be the premier forwards available. None of these players are first line players, and are more of Tier II free agents. If the Rangers don't sign Brad Richards, it will be hard to find true compliments for Marian Gaborik in free agency.
These next few weeks will prove to be interesting for Rangers fans. Will Glen Sather do what he did last year at the deadline, that is stand his ground and move forward confidently with his team? Or will he go out and add pieces for the playoffs in the hope of making a playoff run after missing out last year for the first time since the lockout? Only Glen Sather knows the answer to that, and time will truly tell what is going to happen with the roster of the New York Rangers.
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